MusaFrank Lampard has questioned VAR’s decision to allow Omar Marmoush’s goal to stand during Tottenham Hotspur’s 3-1 victory over Coventry City, insisting the Egyptian forward appeared to catch Milan van Ewijk with a high elbow in the build-up.
Marmoush put Spurs back in front in the 58th minute, curling a superb finish beyond Coventry goalkeeper Carl Rushworth to score his first goal since completing his summer move from Manchester City.
However, the goal was not without controversy. In the build-up, Marmoush appeared to make contact with Van Ewijk using a raised arm while attempting to shield the ball. The Coventry defender was left on the ground as the Tottenham forward continued his run before calmly finding the back of the net.
VAR reviewed the incident but ultimately decided there was no offence worthy of disallowing the goal, allowing Tottenham to maintain their advantage.
Speaking after the final whistle, Coventry manager Lampard made it clear that he disagreed with the decision, believing the goal should have been ruled out following a VAR intervention.
“I did think that VAR should have looked at it,” Lampard admitted.
“If you roll and your elbows are that high and it connects with Milan in the contact it did, I thought VAR would cancel it. I did.”
The former Chelsea midfielder was careful not to elaborate too much on the officiating, but he stood firmly by his opinion that the incident deserved greater scrutiny.
“You have to be really careful how you choose your words after this because there’s no point in getting after the event to get too deep into it. But I absolutely felt that,” he added.
Lampard also suggested that several other decisions during the contest went against Coventry, arguing that a series of small incidents had a significant impact on his team’s chances of getting a positive result.
He pointed to a disputed corner, a challenge involving Brandon Thomas-Asante and a late incident in which Coventry were unable to benefit from an advantage.
“The little bits add up, the corner adds up, Brandon getting fouled trying to stay on his feet and then another little action and you don’t get the advantage late into the game is a big deal for us. That’s all I’ll say about it,” Lampard explained.
Despite his frustration with the controversial goal and the eventual defeat, the Coventry boss remained encouraged by his team’s performance against Premier League opposition.
Although Tottenham’s two-goal victory suggested a comfortable afternoon for the hosts, Lampard felt the scoreline did not fully reflect how competitive the encounter had been, particularly when Coventry were trailing by just one goal.
“A really good display. 3-1 changes the view at the end of the game, but I thought at 2-1 we were really pushing,” he said.
Lampard also praised the quality of Tottenham’s goals, acknowledging that Spurs had produced moments of individual brilliance to make the difference.
“It takes them two outstanding and world-class goals to score their goals,” he continued.
The Coventry manager then highlighted the contrast in experience between the two sides, pointing out that several of his starting players had only recently been competing in the Championship.
“Tottenham will get better and improve for sure, but when you think that eight of our starting players were in the Championship,” he said.
“You wouldn’t know which is the team that has been in the Premier League for the last 25 years and who has been out of it for 25 years.”
While Tottenham celebrated an important victory, Lampard’s comments ensured that Marmoush’s goal and the officials’ decision to allow it to stand remained major talking points after the match.
Musa
